This isn’t a joke.
With all the controversy surrounding vaccines due to the coronavirus pandemic, Researchers at the University of California-Riverside are now trying to figure out a way to grow edible plants that will have the same medicine as a traditional mRNA vaccine.
According to WGNTV, after getting a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, they have began a three step process to see if they can actually accomplish merging vaccines and plants.
“Ideally, a single plant would produce enough mRNA to vaccinate a single person,” Juan Pablo Giraldo, an associate professor in UCR’s Department of Botany and Plant Sciences said.
“We are testing this approach with spinach and lettuce and have long-term goals of people growing it in their own gardens,” Giraldo continued. “Farmers could also eventually grow entire fields of it.”
A lot of ethical questions get raised when scientists attempt to vaccinate plants intended for human consumption. Social media users have had mixed emotions about the possibility of this.